This chapter regulates and restricts the location, construction,
alteration, occupancy and use of buildings and structures and the
use of land in the Town of Pleasant Valley and, for said purposes,
divides the town into zoning districts. Where references are made
to boundaries defined by tax maps, these maps are dated December 16,
2009.
Whenever the requirements of this chapter are at variance with
the requirements of any other lawfully adopted rules, regulations
or ordinances, the most restrictive or that imposing the higher standards
shall govern.
Except where specifically defined herein, all words used in
this chapter shall carry their customary meanings. Words used in the
present tense include the future, and the plural includes the singular;
the word "lot" includes the word "plot"; the word "shall" is intended
to be mandatory; the word "should" is optional but strongly recommended;
the word "may" is optional; and "occupied" or "used" shall be considered
as though followed by the words "or intended, arranged or designed
to be used or occupied."
This chapter is enacted pursuant to the Town Law, Chapter 62 of the Consolidated Laws, Article 16, in conformance with the updated Town of Pleasant Valley Comprehensive Plan, adopted by the Town Board on December 16, 2009. Its purpose is to advance the goals of the Comprehensive Plan as adopted to protect and promote public health, safety, morals, comfort, convenience, economy, Town aesthetics, general welfare, and for the following additional purposes:
A.
To protect and preserve the rural and agricultural character of the
Town by encouraging development in appropriate locations and limiting
development in areas that would negatively impact the Town's historically
rural pattern and scale of settlement.
B.
To protect the economic value and environmental integrity of the
Town's natural and scenic resources in order to maintain property
values and preserve the remaining open and rural character of the
Town. Important resources include the Wappinger Creek watershed, waterways,
groundwater, aquifers, wetlands, agricultural land and soils, wildlife
habitats, green spaces, forests, and scenic ridgelines and meadows.
C.
To enhance the hamlets as walkable and well-designed centers, providing
suitable areas for a harmonious mix of commercial, civic, and residential
uses. Commercial uses should be focused in the hamlets, with areas
outside of the hamlets maintaining their rural scale and character
while supporting appropriate economic activities such as farming operations
and eliminating the spread of strip business developments.
D.
To ensure that the architecture and site design of new and renovated
nonresidential buildings are in harmony with the historic scale and
character of the Town, to preserve and protect lands and buildings
that are historically significant, and to enhance the aesthetic and
architectural quality of the entire Town.
E.
To enhance transportation facilities in hamlet areas, with emphasis
placed on traffic calming and pedestrian- and bike-friendly improvements,
while maintaining a network of smaller country roads outside of the
hamlets.
F.
To encourage the continuation and expansion of agriculture and the
preservation of green spaces, and to avoid regulating agricultural
uses in a manner that unreasonably restricts or regulates farm structures
or farming practices.
G.
To concentrate development in appropriate hamlet locations where
municipal infrastructure is or can be made available, and to ensure
access to light and air, conserve green spaces, facilitate the prevention
and fighting of fires, minimize the cost of municipal services, and
accomplish the other purposes enumerated in § 263 of the
Town Law of New York State.
H.
To encourage a variety of housing options.
I.
To encourage the conservation of energy and the appropriate use of
solar and other renewable energy sources.
J.
To encourage
development plans that are properly designed to conserve the use of
land and the cost of municipal services.
K.
To provide a variety of recreation opportunities and park enhancements.
L.
To protect the community from nonagricultural nuisances, odors, noise,
pollution, and unsightly, obtrusive and offensive land uses and operations.
The Town of Pleasant Valley encourages development that is compatible with Greenway Connections, Greenway Compact Program and Guides for Dutchess County Communities. In any discretionary decisions, the reviewing board shall apply the principles in Greenway Connections, adopted by the Town of Pleasant Valley as Local Law No. 3-2004, Chapter 11 of the Town Code entitled "Greenway Compact." Copies of Greenway Connections are available online at www.dutchessny.gov.
